An 1849 Description of the Gold Rush Journey West, With Early Descriptions of Salt Lake City and the Mormons

A very rare and fascinating glimpse of the western migrants, the experiences they had on their trip West, and the Gold Rush

 

“There is a good many islands in [the Great Salt Lake]. One of them is nothing but salt that they can dig out pieces from it 2 feet square. The water is so thoroughly impregnated with salt that a person cannot sink in it.”

 

Early in March 1848, W. Sidney, S. Willis, and Wilford Hudson, members of the Mormon Battalion, set out from Sutter’s Fort to hunt deer. Stopping on the south fork of the American River, they found gold. They told their story on returning to the fort, and soon about 150 Mormons and other miners flocked to the site, which was named Mormon Island. This was the first major gold strike in California after James W. Marshall’s discovery at Coloma.

The path west was treacherous and there were multiple routes. About 18 miles after travelers on the Oregon Trail crossed the Continental Divide at South Pass, they reached a junction known now as the Parting of the Ways. The right fork went west toward Fort Hall in present southern Idaho, while the left continued southwest toward Fort Bridger and Salt Lake City. The Fort Hall route was a cutoff, opened in 1844. It saved about 46 miles and two and a half days’ travel, but only by crossing a waterless, sagebrush desert.

Diarists sometimes referred to the roads at this junction as the California and Oregon trails. The northerly, straight-west route—the “Oregon” road across what’s now known as the Little Colorado Desert—was most often called Sublette’s Cutoff. From there the trip through the desert and Nevada was difficult.

IH Blair was a young man from Yellow Springs, Iowa. He set out West in the late Spring / early Summer of 1849, one of the true 49ers. His destination was the site of the 1848 Sutter discovery of gold, Mormon Island. His description of the journey west is remarkable. It traveled through Salt Lake City, then a pioneer town. Salt Lake City was founded on July 24, 1847, by early pioneer settlers led by Brigham Young who were seeking to escape persecution they had experienced while living farther east.

Autograph letter, American Fork, Sacremento River, Camp 3 miles above Mormon Island, September 16, 1849, 4 pages, final page missing.  “My dear little Sis, I wrote you from North Fork of Platt River. There were so many teams there ahead of us that we did not get across until Wednesday.  On Thursday, we left the Platt struck across for Sweet Water River. We traveled up this stream for several days and camped on the south side the night of the 18th for the last time. It was very cold, three degrees below freezing point. Next morning about 10 o’clock we crossed the summit of the Rocky Mountains in the South Pass. I shall never forget it. It was the 19th of June. We stopped a short time to look about. Could not see much for the hills. The most of the them were covered with snow. It was quite a pleasant day although we had showers of rain, hail and snows. We had been gradually ascending for several days. We had now to descend for several more. This evening we crossed a stream called Pacifick Creek. It was the first water we had seen that empties into the Pacific Ocean. You will recollect there was 19 wagons in our train when we started. We had now but 2. Those that could out travel us went ahead and those that could not keep up we left behind. When we came to the junction of the roads at Sublett’s Cutoff, some in favor of the Fort Hall and some the Salt Lake Route. On a vote being taken the latter earned it, so we went by Ft. Bridger. There we saw the first white women we had seen that were resident of this country, though we had some few with the trains.

“On the 27th we came to Weaver Creek, a mountain stream so rapid that a horse could not well cross it without floating over on his side. There was 23 teams here cross, no boat or raft. We pulled them over by hand. It was deep. We raised the wagon beds 10 inches and then raised the load in the bed. Ours was the last wagon and over she went. The bed was lashed on, but the bottom boards were loose and was led out. She rolled over several times, swung round into an eddy. We then handed it ashore and sent a man on board to examine the wreck but she was empty. We fished up 1 sack of flour which was all the possession we said. Some saved a part of their clothes but except what I had on and the old black box coat that Mary Jane (God bless her) mended I had not a rag. My Bett knife and pistols were lashed to the wagon bows. They were saved. 3 rifles lost. We did not like it then but we are glad of it now. We never could have got here with the load we had. On the 30th we arrived at the Mormon City of the Great Salt Lake. I did not like the place. It is too far from any place. The valley is about 100 miles long by 30 wide. The mountains all around are high and covered with snow. It was warm in the valley. Their crops and gardens looked well. There is a hot warm spring there. The water is used as a bathing place. The ladies bathe on Tuesdays and Fridays. The men the other 5 days. The Mormons know nothing about the size of the lake. They have never been around it. From what they can learn from the Indians they suppose it to be 150 or 200 miles long 20 to 60 wide. There is a good many islands in it. One of them is nothing but salt that they can dig out pieces from it 2 feet square. The water is so thoroughly impregnated with salt that a person cannot sink in it. A good place for a love stricken like myself to drown in, is it not?

“We traded our wagon at the Lake for pack saddles and clothes. We had 2 horses and 6 mules. There 4 of us. JJ Fish, JE Carter, WE Innett and your humble servant. Fast and myself had horses to ride. The others had donkeys. We left the others Messrs McConnell, Harlow and Bob Jenkinson there and started from the city on the 3rd of July. We had yet 800 miles to go. We started lively and from 40 to 75 miles per day until we got to the head waters of the Humbolt or St. Mary’s River. Our course lay down for this 300 miles. We could find scarcely any grass and our animals began to fail. Before we got to sink Fash’s horse gave out. He left him, mine failed and I left him at the sink. Now were plagued, we were on foot. We stopped here a day to rest. From the sink to Carson River is a desert of 45 miles without grass or water. We started to cross it in the night. About midnight we took off the packs to rest the animals tied there up and give them some hard bread, dried sage brushes. When we began to pack up there was a mule missing. He got loose and wandered off or the Indians stole him. Before we go to the river, a pack mule gave out. We dismounted. The last man put the pack on his will. You will recollect we were now on foot and had from 350 to 400 miles to go yet. But what of that. We saw a great many worse off than ourselves. This desert is very sandy. We got the river about 10 o’clock. We passed 30 to 40 wagons that were left in the sane. People had to leave them there and drive their stock in to the water to graze them, go back after them. Here the Indians were very troublesome. They drove off a great many cattle and mules and if any failed and could not get to the river, when you went back for him you would be sure to find him dead and skinned.

“We had plenty of grass and water now, traveled up Carson River until we came to the foot of (serious divide) mountains. I tell you the Rocky Mountains are nothing but mole hills by the side of them. I suppose there will be 400 or 500 wagons left there. There were a great many there when we crossed. We were 6 days crossing with pack wagons from 10 to 15 days. By the time we got to the foot of the mountain, we were in the mines what is called dry digging. We did not stop, only at Camp times, until we got to Mormon Island, which is 35 miles from Sacramento City. From there to San Francisco is 150 miles. We did not go to work until a week afterwards. I was $300 per month when I first came but thought I would try myself first. Mr. Carter and myself are at work together. At first we did not do much. Then for 15 days we average $30 a piece. Since then we have not done so well, Some days we make 25. 20, 15, 12. and 10 a piece is the last we have made when we work. It is a kind of lottery. There are men in gun of us making all kinds of wages, some $2 per day some 20, 50, 100, 250. Our nearest camp neighbors, a lot sailors, have taken out $100 per day for 3 weeks and one day they out upwards of $500 a piece, So you see it is all in luck.”

A very rare and fascinating glimpse of the western migrants and the experiences they had on their trip West. It’s the first such description we have had in decades.